The Team
The Gentle Undoing is built from real stories and real people.
At the heart of this work are people who understand the quiet, ongoing process of rebuilding after life changes you.
As a team, we want to hold space for the full reality of healing; the hopeful parts, the painful parts, and everything in between. We connect with people who have experienced major life changes to hear and share their stories, so The Gentle Undoing reflects not just one voice, but a collective one.
Louise Pham
Founder & Creative Director
she/her
I was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma when I was 23. That year I had just graduated and was beginning my career as an occupational therapist. While everyone around me was steeping into adulthood and building momentum in their lives, mine suddenly became filled with chemotherapy appointments, scans, hospital stays, exhaustion, and uncertainty.
After treatment ended, I realised survivorship came with its own quiet challenges - the grief, identity shifts, and pressure to “bounce back”. There were parts of me that looked fine on the outside - my hair had grown back, and I looked healthier again. Internally, I felt disconnected from myself and the life I thought I was supposed to be returning to.
Sharing my story became one of the first things that made me feel genuinely understood and less alone. I created The Gentle Undoing because I wanted to create the kind of space I was searching for during that time; somewhere people could speak honestly about the messy, slow, and often unseen parts of healing.
Alice Penberthy
Community & Operations
she/her
I feel deeply connected to The Gentle Undoing as when I was 11, my sister passed away from cancer. This experience led me to suppress feelings surrounding grief, as it wasn’t until my father passed away when I was 18 that I realised I did want to take steps to heal. Since then, I have made an active effort to healing through advocacy, connection, and being honest with myself.
The Gentle Undoing connects me to who I am now; healing, authentic and ready to make a change in the space where individuals feel lost. Through the media produced, I feel that we can provide resources, support and comfort to the people who are similar to my 11 year old self who didn’t know where to start healing.
Aside from The Gentle Undoing, I have completed my Bachelors in Psychology, and work in mental health. I am also on the Youth Advisory Team for a cancer charity Canteen. I hope to continue to create a change in this space. The Gentle Undoing reminds me that it’s okay if you’re not okay, and that through connection and support, we can learn and grow around our pain, and navigate back to ourselves.
Tanisha Hewa
Film & Production
they/them
As a filmmaker I’ve always seen film as a very strong medium for connecting with others and sharing important messages. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the impact of the types of projects I work on and how I wanted to start focusing my energy on worthwhile projects that have a positive impact on the world. When Louise approached me about using my production skills to aid The Gentle Undoing, I jumped at the opportunity. Having been involved in the cancer space previously, through Canteen, I could see the collective struggles that my peers were going through on their journey to not only physical health but mental health too. I also could really see the power of having a shared space for people to go on that healing journey together.
Having The Gentle Undoing as a community that is so easily accessible and meets people where they’re at I think is SO important. There are so many issues facing young people today that makes them feel isolated, and it is my hope that through my work in The Gentle Undoing, they can feel a little less alone. I hope this is a space that you can connect to just as I have.